SubBubbles (2017) | Jeroen Bisscheroux

Submarine 4711 – ‘Foxtrot B-80’ – is moored close to the banks of the NDSM site. This Russian sub, built in 1956, was moored here in 2002 by some adventurous entrepreneurs who thought they had found the ultimate party location. But the party never really got going. The sub was transferred to a historical foundation; then a Turkish private company; then a Spanish museum; and then a Belgian property developer. It should have been towed away at least seven times, but it’s still right there, slowly pining away. It bobs and rocks ever more precariously on the waves. Every year it lies a little deeper in the water, but still poses patiently for all the tourists who visit the NDSM.

Artist Jeroen Bisscheroux is now transforming the submarine into an artwork with the title SubBubbles (4711). Soap bubbles come popping out of one of its ventilation tubes. Dancing over the water, the bubbles carry ‘scent 4711’ – better known as Eau de Cologne. Magical water – ‘aqua mirabilis’ – this scintillating, fresh scent is a miracle cure for many ills. Could this at last lead to the rejuvenation the old Foxtrot has been waiting for for so long? Or is it finally exhaling its final breath?

Jeroen Bisscheroux (1963) is a visual artist who has worked for more than twenty years in the Scheepsbouwloods on the NDSM site. His artworks and interventions explore the intersections of architecture, design and visual art. He looks for ways to interact with the surroundings in an optimistic, absurd way.

The project is an initiative of Stichting NDSM-werf and was realised thanks to a generous contribution from Stichting Kinetisch Noord and Botel.